City Visions

February 12, 2018: Host Grace Won talks to Nigel Poor and Jody Lewen, both of whom work at San Quentin State Prison, often in active collaboration with inmates, and as such have a unique window into a world most of us never see.

Nigel Pooris the co-host and co-producer of Ear Hustle, a podcast that features prisoners sharing their experience of prison life. Nigel is also a visual artist and professor of photography.

It's been almost a year since Donald Trump was elected president, and on issues from immigration to climate change, California's been putting up a fight. Host Joseph Pace and guests look at how our state has been influencing national law and policy, the limits of resistance, and the future of California's relationship with Washington.

Host Ethan Elkind moderates a debate on criminal justice reforms in California. Two bills that would eliminate bail are headed for the state legislature, championed by advocacy groups seeking to reduce incarcerations and to make sentencing laws more flexible and equitable.

May 1, 2017: A 40-hour work week and paid sick leave are benefits that many in today’s workforce expect - and take for granted. Organized labor is to thank for these and other hard-won protections, yet today only 1 in 10 American workers are unionized.

As the Bay Area grapples with skyrocketing housing costs and choking traffic, what is Governor Jerry Brown and the state government doing to help? Ethan Elkind is one-on-one with Ken Alex, senior adviser to Governor Brown and head of the state's Office of Planning and Research, the agency that helps set land use policy.

Fifty years ago this summer, 100,000 young people flooded San Francisco in what was called "The Summer of Love." Guest host Grace Won revisits this era with those charged with commemorating it. From psychedelic rock posters, to fringed leather jackets, to the music of local bands like the Grateful Dead, we will cover the art, music, and politics of the counterculture.

Why was San Francisco the epicenter of this countercultural movement? What is its legacy?

The budget proposal released by the Trump Administration earlier this month outlines deep and unprecedented cuts across many federal agencies. At the top of the list is the Environmental Protection Agency, slated for a 31% cut.

Host Joseph Pace and a panel of experts look at San Francisco's changing urban landscape and the most notable - and most controversial - development projects of 2017. Are any of these new buildings architecturally significant? Can architecture be used to help the city's social problems? And how is all this new construction fitting in with San Francisco's existing architectural ecosystem?